Films/DVD Asylum

"Finding Nemo:" WARNING!

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This movie is definitely NOT for younger children. We attended with our 2-year old and a bunch of her friends w/their parents. No one lasted 15 minutes.
From the terrifying opening scene of parental loss, there must be a solid 30 minutes (I saw it later) of unending scary scenes which, in concert with the intense music, is way too much for 2 or 3 yr.-olds, IMO.
I liked it, but it suffers from the modern illness of hyper-activity, i.e. there must be a climax every thirty seconds, a jarring surprise, a tension. The end result is that you're numbed half-way through and inured to any emotional highs after that.
Writers of dialogue, it appears, are in very short supply in Hollywood...

Follow Ups:

Never read one of those Grimm tales huh? nt - clarkjohnsen 08:34:48 06/16/03 (0)
a
I've been avoiding it all all costs. - Maiello 07:45:27 06/16/03 (0)
I close my eyes and hit MUTE so I don't see or hear the trailers on television. Pixar is so damn good at what they do, that I want every second to be a surprise when I see it!
-Frank
Whatever you do, don't show her Bambi! - Audiophilander 01:07:29 06/16/03 (8)
Personally, I think 2 & 3 year olds are too young to be taken to movies to begin with, but I can imagine that you were under a lot of pressure to take her. Unfortunately, once young children get scared or are upset by a scene they're prone to crying throughout the feature, thus spoiling the film for other patrons. I'm no expert, but it seems to me that it would probably be better to introduce children to the cinema at 4 to 6 years of age; by then they should be old enough to understand what they're seeing and it will leave a more lasting impression.
As far as Finding Nemo is concerned, the plot and pacing seemed perfectly fine to me and the dialogue was snappy, even clever in places. As with other Pixar films, Nemo never insults the audience's intelligence regardless of age, but my guess is that any film that conveys sophisticated ideas, such as the trauma of parental loss, through symbolism, such as likeable talking animated animals, is best appreciated by older kids and adults.
AuPh
- Well, AuPh she - tinear 06:57:01 06/16/03 (7)
  saw Bambi twice and had no problems. Look at Nemo again: it is one continuous roller-coaster of scary stuff for at least the first, I don't know, forty minutes or so. The INTENSITY of the scenes are what make them tough for younger kids. Nemo is exactly like Friday the 13th and other horror movies: one overdone fright after another (I'll count them up next time I see it). This is relatively new for kids movies, and, like with adult offerings, every new one must up the ante until it's just one long thrill fest. It seems like if not for danger, the writers would be unable to conjure up plot or dialogue.
  Wait until they're older to see kids films? Not a chance! All the older siblings have seen the movies!
  I think Hollywood is missing a great opportunity to make movies geared to younger viewers: kids aren't all alike, i.e. what a 3-yr. old can tolerate would bore a five or six-year old, unless the skill level of today's moviemakers improves. Disney's old stuff, after all, appealed to ALL ages of kids.
  - yeah, but I bet you watched Bambi . . . - Troy 15:23:45 06/18/03 (0)
    . . . at home. With kids that age, a lot of it is about environment when watching a movie. Theaters are inherently dark and scary places.
    Fact is, 2 is WAY too young to expect a child to show self control in a movie theater. Doesn't matter if it IS a kids movie. Crying babies ruin movies for everyone. Ditto restaurants.
    The theater was filled with crying babies when I saw Nemo. Yes, too much for 2 year olds, but who, besides a 2 year old, is gonna watch a movie designed for 2 year olds? That market should be watching Teletubbies . . . at home.
  - Well, I guess that we'll just have to disagree on this one. - Audiophilander 09:24:06 06/16/03 (5)
    I'm of the viewpoint that "Finding Nemo" will become a classic for the ages, as has been the case with the two Toy Story movies released by Pixar Studios; Nemo is a true gem! As an adult I appreciate it when an animated film doesn't 1) bore, 2) play down to the expectations of it's target audience or 3) resort to gross humor intended to make kids giggle and adults wince. At the same time, the film's producers have wisely taken into account the sophistication of modern audiences (i.e., kids of ALL ages) in regards to both writing and pacing rather than focusing just on the mind-set of very young children.
    BTW, "Finding Nemo" is neither "Friday the 13th" nor typical Disney fare! Disney, which distributes Pixar films, doesn't own controling interest. Pixar Studios, through the concerted efforts of Steve Jobs, has striven to remain independent of Disney and has demonstrated more savvy at endearing itself to the public than the Mickey Mouse studio of today! I'm basing my assessment on the quality of films Disney has churned out in recent years.
    The most troubling aspect of posting my impressions is that I've apparently found myself in complete agreement with Clark Johnsen on this topic! As I recall, in "Ghostbusters" Bill Murray has a great one-off line about *dogs & cats living together* to do with strange occurances during the coming apocolypse that seems to apply here! :o)
    Cheers,
    AuPh
    PS: Now I can hardly wait for the "Finding Nemo" DVD! Out Christmas, perhaps?
    - Hey, I enjoyed the movie! - tinear 07:02:53 06/17/03 (4)
      I think my point about scaring every 30 seconds or so is cogent. I didn't mean to imply the quality of the film, even though it uses the same emotional formula, was equivalent to Friday the 13th...
      (If you were a parent these days you'd be powerless to confront your kid's film wishes: when all the kids at daycare have seen it, the fight's over!).
      For the record, the movie came to our local theatre and, after being scared enough to force us to leave, she started squealing on the way to the car that she wanted to go back. After a few moments of contemplation, we decided "just once" to give in. She made it through the darn thing, and now keeps saying she wants to see it again!
      The mom of one of her best 2-yr. old friends says her daughter acted exactly the same way. Conjecture: when they get outside, they realize that what happens inside is not "real" and they are comforted enough to want to see more.
      - You are probably correct in your assessment, but here's a thought: - Audiophilander 09:16:06 06/17/03 (3)
        
        In Reply to: Hey, I enjoyed the movie! posted by tinear on June 17, 2003 at 07:02:53:
        
        I wonder how audiences reacted in 1941 to "Bambi" when it was shown in front of an audience on a large screen in a movie theater? I can only imagine that younger kids were just as emotionally involved with the characters regardless of the pacing (i.e., even older kids, if you recall Robert Stack's performance in the movie "1941" - Note: I forget, was that "Bambi" or "Dumbo"?).
        We should continue this discussion after this comes out on DVD (i.e., I'm assuming that you'll be buying this one) and you and your daughter have the opportunity to watch them back to back; that shouild be quite interesting.
        AuPh
        
        I ain't DVD, yet. - tinear 11:44:21 06/17/03 (2)
        
        In Reply to: You are probably correct in your assessment, but here's a thought: posted by Audiophilander on June 17, 2003 at 09:16:06:
        
        I'm waiting for the dusk to settle with formats and multi-players' prices to come down; and for Hi-Def to be more widespread. Still going along with VHS and my old Sony 27-"er.
        
        No DVD at all? Well, the wife & I may have gone the "overkill" route, but we love DVD! - Audiophilander 16:14:59 06/17/03 (1)
        
        In Reply to: I ain't DVD, yet. posted by tinear on June 17, 2003 at 11:44:21:
        
        We decided that the dust wasn't going to settle soon enough and now we own 4 progressive scan DVD players (Panasonic, SONY, JVC & Akai), two of which, the JVC & Akai units, were purchased because they perform PAL/NTSC conversion and the Panasonic because it also has DVD-A. LOL! Well, perhaps it is overkill and a bit nuts to own four DVD players, but after all, this is the "Asylum" isn't it? :o) FTR, as "committed" as we are, we'll probably auction off the SONY on eBay, eventually. Originally we bought as a back-up player, but we don't use it that often. As for High-Def, well, it's already here, bud! Nearly all of the Prime time shows are in HD, some of the movie channels too, and the sporting events are killer, that is, if you like sports.
        Cheers,
        AuPh
        
        Wow, you just may be as nuts as Clark - tinear 12:29:30 06/21/03 (0)
        
        In Reply to: No DVD at all? Well, the wife & I may have gone the "overkill" route, but we love DVD! posted by Audiophilander on June 17, 2003 at 16:14:59:
        
        thinks you are! 4!!!
        I very much enjoy watching the end of sporting events, i.e. NBA finals, last rounds of US Open, finals of Wimbledon, etc.
        Do you know if ESPN has HD or is it just the big (old) three?
        BTW, I do have an Accuphase which I understand will decode DVD...so I won't have to buy a very expensive player, just something to act as a transport.
        Now, as soon as plasma comes down a bit...(is it considered the equal of conventional tubes, now?).

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